Page 74 of The Sky Between Us

With a low laugh, I shook my head. “That’s the problem, bro. We can’t do anything. And I need you to make sure I don’t murder him on the field and I don’t lose my one shot to get into LA Galaxy.”

“Fuck, dude. That’s impossible,” he hissed. “I want to beat the shit out of him. I can’t imagine how you feel.”

“Whatever you feel magnified by a thousand,” I muttered through gritted teeth. “Anger has been burning in my veins ever since I found out. And knowing he is going to be here is making me angrier. I’ve always been the cool level headed guy, Elliot. I can’t lose my shit. Not now. Not like this. Not when everything I’ve ever worked for is right in front of me… yet… whenever he crosses my mind, I feel this anger. It poisoned my mind and I don’t know what to do anymore. I just know, if I let this monster bred by hatred free, I will lose everything. Her, my chance, the championship. I will lose it all.”

“Bro,” he clamped my shoulders, his brown eyes burning with anger, but sparks of understanding and pity shone in them. “Don’t worry… I’ll be there with you. Every step of the way. We’ll get through this together. Just like we conquered every challenge the last three years. Together.”

My heart burst from relief as my best friend pulled me into a hug. Yet as I hugged him back all I could stare at were my knuckles, all white and shiny. The need to fuck them up was suffocating me. But I couldn’t do it. I was always the good guy and I needed to stay one of the good ones. For her, for me and for us.

Game day came sooner than I wanted. I was done with sleepless nights and the constant stress of going over the same play again and again. Yet, I didn’t feel prepared. I knew I won’t have an issue on the field, my brain will snap into play mode and my eyes will focus on the prize. But those moments off the field were going to be challenging. Seeing Jake Kellerman without killing him.

Coach always had the rule to minimize distractions before games to avoid emotional interferences. But he allowed me to see Hazel. Seeing her, wearing my jersey and shaking from anxiety messed me up even more. Her lips trembled as she spoke and she kept lacing her fingers over and over together, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

Threading my fingers through hers I kissed her hand and squeezed it. “It’s going to be fine.”

“I know,” she muttered. “And after we celebrate. There’s a party at your place, right?”

A slight grin tugged on my lips. “Yeah, baby.”

We both sounded unnatural for some reason, still too caught up with everything in our mind.

Elliot strolled over all confident and cocky, every step puffing his chest wearing the soccer uniform. I almost needed to roll my eyes on him. But that was until his eyes fell on us. His face morphed into a frown and deep creases formed on his forehead. The pretty guy act transferred into something deeper and his protectiveness towards both Hazel and I was heart clenching.

Hazel was wearing a puzzled look on her face, unsure how to approach this different Elliot. They both played their part in front of others, but we were past the game. It was time to slip the mask off and face the truth.

“We have a problem,” my friend said, stopping in front of us, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Lifting a questioning brow, I nodded my chin to him to continue. My arms flexed around Hazel, pulling her closer. Her body molded into mine like she was attached to me, and her breath tickled my neck. Under normal circumstances it might have caused my blood to boil, but I was already spread thin.

Elliot turned his head to look over his shoulder where the door swung open. A bunch of Harvard players, who arrived just minutes ago, marched into our cafeteria for their pre-game snack and drink. Their group was led by the one and only Jake Kellerman.

He was in his red Harvard tracksuit, his hair styled back with half a bottle of gel, and his smug smile on his face.

Bile rose in me together with anger, as Hazel shivered. My hand moved in circles on her back as her eyes focused on her nightmare in front of her.

“That is a problem,” I muttered to Elliot who was staring at them with pure disgust.

The entire cafeteria grew silent when the enemy occupied a table. The usual smell of coffee and pastry got replaced by testosterone, ego and sweat. My fist balled as Kellerman stood at the head of his table making the rest of the team laugh.

But before any of us got to say a word or stand to leave, his head turned, eyes falling at us, and with his confident stroll, he targeted us.

Hazel shifted, peeling herself off my body and with shaking legs, stood. Crossing her arms in front of her, in a protective motion, she stopped next to Elliot staring down her ex. I immediately joined her, standing at her other side to give her my silent support.

“Hazel,” Jake greeted her with an easy smile as he stopped arm length from her. “Thought you were busy?”

Hazel slid into her bitch role without missing a beat. Her usually kind eyes turned dark and a smirk on her lips. “Yeah, busy for you.”

Jake chuckled and his eyes preyed over her body, taking in every curve. Gritting my teeth, I pushed my balled fist into my pocket. I needed to keep my cool.

“You look good, considering everything,” he said.

Elliot gave a hissing sound, but Hazel’s face remained unbothered. All she did was lift a single brow.

“You mean since the last time you saw me five years ago?” she asked, tilting her head. “Oh, wait… you didn’t actually come to see me.”

Under different circumstances I would have grinned. But the honesty and truth behind her words left a sour taste in my mouth, but Kellerman just grinned.

“Well, I’m here now. Are you dating him, because he always comes second to me in his stats? You know when you can’t have the best, you take the second. But I remember you saying second is the first to lose, so I would have expected you to have a bit more self-respect.”

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